This World
by good bye autumn
Summary: Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, but first a breif but meaningful encounter with Hermione. Please R
1. Summer on Privet Drive

DISCLAIMER: I certainly do not own any of the characters in any of these stories; the whole lot of them belongs solely to J.K. Rowling, that lucky dog. And I really encourage you to read The Order of the Phoenix, because this story may contain spoilers for and information that won't make sense to those who haven't.  
  
Harry Potter stumbled out of bed that morning to the sound of his wailing uncle.  
  
"Where in hell is that wretched boy!? BOY! GET DOWN HERE!"  
  
"Please don't be about Hedwig," Harry muttered hopefully as he glanced at his alarm clock, which blinked the red numbers 7 : 4 3.  
  
He descended the stairs of the small house his relatives owned at Number 4 Privet Drive in Surrey, and walked lazily in the direction of which his uncle's loud, grumbling voice was coming from.  
  
"A filthy owl just flew in through the kitchen window with the post from your bloody friends! This has been happening all summer, boy! One more time I have to tell you about this, you and this owl get a beating! GOT IT?!"  
  
"Yes, sir, sorry, sir," Harry said apologetically. He quietly told Hedwig to fly up to his bedroom window with the post wondering why she had become so careless this summer, and he exited the room, or at least tried to.  
  
"Harry, this funny business is getting out of control. Now I understand that you have to stay here during the holidays for safety precautions, but you mustn't make a circus out of this household. Now up to your room, Dudley will send breakfast," explained his aunt with a somewhat more restrained anger than his uncle.  
  
Harry highly doubted that he would receive breakfast this morning, mostly because Dudley was supposed to bring it up to his room, and trusting him with food is like trusting Lucius Malfoy in not dispensing valuable information he heard in an Order of the Phoenix meeting through some outside source. He grabbed his trunk that had been sitting in his closet for a long while and got out a box of hopefully-not-spoiled Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from the food trolley on his last train ride home from Hogwarts earlier that summer.  
  
Harry of course had stayed in touch with Ron and Hermione, and he had received one letter from Luna and Cho that summer. Luna's told him to pick up the most recent issue of the Quibbler, for they always put in a good word of him, and that the new article on the pigs around the globe that just recently started to sprout wings would be in his field of interest. Harry didn't know whether or not to take that comment offensively. Cho's letter was just to say hello, and ask him of how his summer has been. Not the sorry he had been hoping so much for, since after all she did act a little irrationally toward him the past year. Ron and Hermione's letters were much longer than the others though, obviously because they were his best friends. Ron's almost always discussed Quidditch and the booming success that Fred and George's business had become, and Hermione's, the most recent edition of Hogwarts: A History, and how it was a collector's item and a very good investment, indeed, etc. Harry missed his friends, but in a month's time, he would be back to seeing them everyday, and having fun on the Hogwarts grounds.  
  
Harry just remembered that Hedwig had flown into the house for a reason; he had a letter for Harry. He carefully removed the letter from Hedwig's beak and saw it had a Hogwarts seal.  
  
"Yes, supply list! This means a trip to Diagon Alley soon." Harry thought as he ripped open his letter in excitement, as if it were a Christmas gift and he was six years old and painfully wanting that shiny red wagon to be underneath the wrapping.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
This year's supply list for your sixth year at Hogwarts School  
of Witchcraft and Wizardry is attached, as well as your O.W.L.  
results.  
  
Harry had a flashback to that night he was taking his Astronomy exam, when Professor McGonagall had been stunned four times in an attempt to keep Umbridge and company in disposing of Hagrid, and his whole class had witnessed it also. The memories of the wicked Umbridge gave Harry such horrible feelings of strong animosity and hatred that if it hadn't been for the other letter hanging out of Hedwig's beak that distracted him from his own thoughts, he would have ripped up the piece of parchment he held in his hands. 


	2. News from Hermione

Harry placed the Hogwarts letter on his pillow and removed the other from Hedwig's beak. He opened it up and read:  
  
Hey Harry! I know I just wrote you a couple of days ago, but Ron  
and I decided that you can come with me to Diagon Alley this  
summer. I've already discussed it with my mum and dad, and they  
said it'd be a privilege to have you come with us. They will be  
contacting your aunt and uncle sometime this week with the news.  
We'll pick you by car at your house, so be sure and have your robes  
and everything you'll need for Hogwarts. You'll be staying at my  
house for a couple days, so pack some extra muggle clothes also.  
We've got the guest bedroom all fixed up for you. If everything  
goes as planned, we'll pick you up the 25th of this month. Hope  
your folks agree, we'll have lots of fun!  
  
Hermione  
  
Well that was certainly a pleasant surprise. Harry had never been to Hermione's house before; he wondered if it was far away from his. He quickly got out a blank sheet of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink and began to write back.  
  
Hello there, Hermione. I'm glad to hear that we'll be spending  
some time together this summer. I hope my folks agree to it too. My  
house isn't too far away from yours, is it? I hope it's no trouble.  
Tell your parents I'm very obliged for the offer.  
  
See you soon,  
Harry  
  
Harry folded up his short reply, scrounged around in his desk for an envelope, wrote Hermione's name on it, and gave it to Hedwig.  
  
"Send this to Hermione straight away, hear me?" Hedwig nodded in response, and soared off as soon as Harry had opened his window.  
  
A splash of excitement, perplexity, and nervousness shot up into Harry's throat. He'd be in Hermione's house this summer. He just. didn't know what to think.  
  
Later that week, Harry went downstairs for dinner one evening. Vernon mentioned that the Grangers called the house that afternoon.  
  
"I told them that I'd think about it, and consider your behavior as a factor in deciding whether or not you may go. And with that damn owl of yours." "Uncle Vernon, I've told you countless times, I'm sorry about Hedwig--" "Don't use its disgusting name at the dinner table, boy. I was pressing your buttons; I told them that it would be all right as long as no funny business was involved. They reassured me they would be arriving and departing by car with you, and the neighbors would not suspect anything. You just better watch yourself, boy. I don't want any more shouting letters from crazy people in this house telling me how to raise you like last summer, understand?" "Yes, sir." "Good. They'll be here the 25th. Clear the table, clean off the dishes, and go to your room."  
  
After Harry washed the dishes, he went up to his room (to find Hedwig in her cage with a frog) and turned off his lights to get an early sleep. But he didn't sleep for at least 4 hours, he didn't take the time to turn over and look at his clock. He spent his time staring out of his window at the moon, asking himself questions in his mind. Why had Uncle Vernon been so kind to him about going to Hermione's house? What was it about the thought of going there that made him feel so awkward and confused the night he received Hermione's letter? He wasn't attracted to her, he knew this. He never looked at her like someone he could be attracted to. He looked at her like a best friend would look at another best friend, as a. well. best friend, of course.  
  
He finally fell asleep that night, and had a dream of Hermione whacking Malfoy in the face with Harry's broom, and having Ron run in being chased by another Malfoy, his evil twin, he presumed. Hermione then went and whacked the other Malfoy in the face with Harry's broom, breaking it. Ron wrapped it up with the same tape he used on his wand in their second year, and Hermione boarded it and it flew backwards, and she caught a snitch. but something looked wrong about the snitch, it was red and goopy, and when she caught it, it burst in her fist and its goop covered the grass and Harry felt as though he couldn't breathe.  
  
He woke up in a sweat to realize he had been struggling to breathe through his pillow. "Figures," he thought. The sky was a grayish tone of lavender; the sun was beginning to rise. It was the 21st. He desperately waited for the day that he would be picked up by Hermione's parents and escape from this prison some called his home, and have fun for the first time in months. 


	3. Hermione's Place

The 4 days (which included endless chores and torment from Dudley) passed by Harry so slowly and dully, he thought they'd never be over. He was looking forward to spending time with Hermione since he hadn't seen her outside of the wizarding world ever. Harry packed the night of the 24th; he had 2 trunks full of clothes, and Hedwig in her cage.  
  
The following morning, Harry got an early start at 9, rather than the usual 11, AM and cleaned his room along with the bathroom, kitchen, and living room so that Vernon would have no reason to keep him. He quickly changed from his dirty clothes, and at 12:30 waited on the foot of the stairs for the doorbell to ring. And, right on time, it did, and he opened the door to a somewhat tall, pretty girl of 15, the Hermione that Harry has always known. She lifted up her sunglasses and said "No hug? Well then!" and jokingly turned on her heal. They chuckled as she turned around again and he pulled her close in a friendly bear hug. Harry had shouted that he was leaving, but got nothing but a mutter of "Good riddance," from the other room. He showed a slight smile, grabbed his luggage, and shut the door behind him.  
  
"Dad, open the trunk, will you?" Hermione shouted to the front of the large car as the trunk top sprung open. She helped him load his trunks into the car, and Hedwig's cage into an extra space in the back. She motioned for Harry to hop in, and so he did, and so did she. The car door shut and the car started, leaving number 4 Privet Drive behind in the dust.  
  
"Oh yes, Mum, Dad, this is Harry, of course. I don't believe you've ever properly been introduced to each other, have you?" Hermione said to both Harry and her parents in the front of the car. "Very nice to meet you, Harry, we're Mr. and Mrs. Granger, if you hadn't already guessed," Hermione's mother stated simply. He could see her smiling at him through the rearview mirror. "Hi ma'am, sir. Thank you for being nice enough to drive all the way to Surrey to pick me up, I appreciate it," Harry said. "Don't think of it, Harry. We were happy to. Hermione tells us of you all the time, speaks so highly of you. She tells us you're one of her best friends," Mr. Granger said to him, still managing to keep his eyes on the road in front of him.  
  
They continued to talk for the rest of the one-hour trip, and the car then pulled into the cobblestone driveway of Hermione's wonderfully comfortable looking home. It was painted in a subtle brick red with white trims. Harry looked at the wonderful country looking home and was astonished at something so beautiful. He was brought back to reality by the sounds of everyone's seatbelts unbuckling, so he did the same. Hermione and Harry removed his trunks from the car, and Mrs. Granger explained that they needed to run some errands, and they'd be back for dinner. She also told Harry to make himself at home, and that Hermione will show him up to his room. After the Grangers left, they went inside and left Harry's things at the foot of the stairs.  
  
"You want something to drink, juice maybe?" Hermione kindly offered to Harry. "Sure, need any help?" Harry kindly offered back. "Nah, just tell me what kind you want, apple, orange, grapefruit, we got it all, as long as it's healthy, you know my parents," she told him jokingly, and he said he'd have whatever she's having.  
  
Harry waited near his trunks for Hermione, and she arrived minutes later with two glasses of apple juice. She started to give him a tour of the house he'd be staying in for the next 5 days.  
  
"Well, we're standing in the living room as you can see, and that door to the right of the stairs leads to my parents' room, through this archway is the kitchen, and through that archway in the kitchen is the dining room. And as we ascend the stairs. this door here on the right leads to my room," she said, as she twisted the doorknob to show him inside, "that door over there in the corner is to my bathroom. So, back into the hallway, down here is your room," she said as she opened the door.  
  
Harry looked inside to find a most beautifully decorated room, with a light grey-brown shade on the walls, hardwood flooring, a large area rug, a queen size bed with very comfortable looking pillows, a fireplace with a stone mantel, and two French doors.  
  
"Those doors lead to a balcony that we share, hope you don't mind," she added playfully, "and that door over there leads to your bathroom." "Hermione, this room is so beautiful, thank you so much for letting me stay here, but I'm afraid I'll get it dirty or something," Harry commented. "Heh, you won't get it dirty, silly. Don't worry about it. Oh and I forgot to tell you in the car. me and my parents did the favor of buying both you and I all of our school supplies, so we won't need to pay a trip to Diagon Alley this year, unless you'd like to go for something you wanted personally." "Whoa, you've taken care of everything haven't you guys?" "I guess you can say that," Hermione said with a smile.  
  
They headed back downstairs, and Hermione pointed to two more French doors in the living room. "Those lead out back, want to take a look?" Harry nodded.  
  
They put their juice down on the coffee table, and she led him outside to an almost heavenly backyard with a small pond in the corner, it looked like a huge grassy field they could just roam freely in like a pair of horses.  
  
"It's beautiful here," Harry said quietly. "I know. I love home; I could just lay out here for hours and admire everything about it. Every time I explore it out here, something's different. There's always a new corner of the land to see, and there is never a dull moment." Hermione trailed off as they stood there and could only hear the sounds or each other breathing calmly and the wind blowing around them.  
  
It was at that moment that Harry looked over at Hermione and saw something he'd never seen before. He saw a beautiful young woman. He'd never heard Hermione speak so passionately about anything like that before, except maybe S.P.E.W., but not in that way of course. She had never spoken with such noticeable emotion in her voice to Harry. She turned and looked at him, flashed him a smile, grabbed his hand, and ran into the field in front of them, taking him with her. 


End file.
